Firstly, let us look at the first object which is an Ivory Taweret Amulet, ca. 1539-1291 B.C.E. Eighteenth Dynasty; Southern Upper Egypt. The object is approximately 1 in. (2.54 cm) in height and is part of the Dr. George Andrew Reisner Collection at the University of California at Berkeley: Phoebe A Hearst Museum of Anthropology. The full-body Taweret symbol was the protector of pregnant women in life, and was associated with rebirth in the Afterlife. It can be said the small individual Taweret object has been presumed to be a part of a larger objected establishment such as a tribal necklace or good luck charm, this speculation can be manifested by the small hole-pierced through the ivory on the back of the Amulets shoulder/neck area (Collections: Ancient Egypt).
The second object is known as the Head of Taweret, ca. 1336-945 B.C.E. unlike the first object, this artifact is made of hematite and not ivory. It is approximately 15/16 in. (2.4 cm) in height, and can be found at the Brooklyn Museum, New York City in the Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 58.92., Creative Commons. The head of Taweret also looked to generate monthly rebirth in accordance to crescent and full moon cycles. This belief took its roots from the “moons of Khonsu”, whom was the divine heir of Amun and Mut. More specifically the object represents the head of “The Great One”, a pregnant hippopotamus with lion and crocodile features, symbolizing protective motherhood (Brooklyn Museum).
When distinguishing the two ancient objects it can be said firstly that they are made from
different materials as the Taweret Amulet is made from ivory (a hard, white material from traditionally elephant's tusk and animal teeth), while the Head of Taweret is made in the hematite medium (a mineral, specifically colored black here, however the colours of hematite can vary to silver-gray, brown, reddish brown, even red. Generally, after hematite is mined it is used as the main ore of iron). The Head of Taweret is black and gives off a slight white reflection when in direct light which allows it to illuminate in a sense, this sophisticated reaction can make it harder to focus on the objects fine detail and features however gives it a more valuable regard than that of the ivory Taweret Amulet. “Conventional type of hippopotamus head with a slightly open mouth, tongue protruding. All surfaces polished. Workmanship is of extraordinary quality (Brooklyn Museum). On the other hand, with the Taweret Amulet being carved of ivory, this feature makes it more delicate in a sense that it can be easier to dent, chip, or scratch than that of the hematite. The Ivory Taweret Amulet, dates back to 1539-1291 B.C.E. which was during the Eighteenth Dynasty, while the Head of Taweret, dates to approximately 1336-945 B.C.E. Late Eighteenth Dynasty - Twenty-First Dynasty; this was the New Kingdom-Third Intermediate Period. It is crucial to acknowledge that even though the ivory Taweret was suspected to be a part of an entire necklace or symbolic integration, the small piece itself, in which we see is indeed as a whole, just as it was so many years ago. However the Head of Taweret in haematite is indeed broken as it used to be a part of a complete statuette of the goddess. Both objects as a whole were usually worn like a necklace so that women could have protection wherever they went to. Or the Egyptians had a similar, larger version of the goddess within their homes to protect them while at home and to be able to pray directly to “the great one”.
Works cited
Brooklyn Museum. “Head of Taweret”. The Brooklyn Museum: Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art:., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
Collections: Ancient Egypt. “Collections: Ancient Egypt”. Phoebe A. Hearst Museum Of Anthropology, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
